Purpose: :
To study the incidence and risk factors of retinopathyof prematurity in preterm infants with a birth weight less than1500 grams at an institution serving mainly an African–Americanand Hispanic population.

Methods: :
Retrospective chart review of 126 consecutive infantswith a birth weight less than 1500 grams born at the KCHC betweenJanuary 1, 2003– December 31, 2004 examined in the neonatalintensive care unit. Staging of retinopathy of prematurity wasclassified using the international ROP classification. Racewas determined by the mother’s stated race.

Results: :
Out of a total of 126 patients, 8 were Hispanic and118 were African–American. 24/126 of the infants died prior to discharge from the NICU,22/126 died prior to having an exam. 8/126 were discharged and1 was transferred prior to having an exam. This left 95 babiesin the study.
Sixty–four percent of the babies born with a birth weightof 1500 grams or less developed ROP.
The group with any form of ROP had a mean gestational age of26.98 +/– 0.27 weeks. The group without ROP had a meangestational age of 28.24 +/– 0.46weeks (p value=0.013).The group with any ROP had a mean birth weight of 913.31 +/–30.14grams. The group without any ROP had a mean birth weight of1061.39 +/– 37.44 grams. This was statistically significantwith a p value of 0.003.
The group with threshold ROP had a mean gestational age of 25.80+/– 0.61weeks versus the group without threshold ROP whohad a mean gestational of 27.60 +/– 0.25 weeks(p value=0.021).
The group with threshold ROP had a mean birth weight of 774.20+/–57.459 grams versus the group without threshold ROP, had a meanbirth weight of 979.92 +/– 25.359 grams(p value= 0.009).
As expected there is a high correlation between low birth weightand young gestational age(r=0.687).
The incidence of threshold ROP in males versus females was alsostatistically significant(p= 0.013). The proportion of malesthat had threshold ROP was 19.5% while the proportion of femaleswas 3.7%. Gestational age and birth weight between males andfemales were compared and there was no significant differencebetween males and females.

Conclusions: :
As expected, low birth weight and short gestationperiod were the main risk factors for the development of ROP,but it was also found in this African–American, Caribbean–American,and Hispanic group of patients that male gender was an additionalrisk factor for developing threshold ROP.